Workstand



J l 25, 19 1 F; A. HOLLOMON WORKSTAND Filed Sept. 23, 1959 INVENTORflaw/r fl// o L LOMON W"- W A ORNEY United States Patent Q P 2,993,560WORKSTAND Frank A. Hollomon, 1804 Myrtle Road Silver Spring, Md. FiledSept. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 841,789 2 Claims. (Cl. 182-179) This inventionrelates to a unique workstand of extremely simple construction which iscapable of supporting heavy loads yet which is sufficiently light inweight so that it can be readily carried by a workman.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a workstandwhich may be utilized as a platform for supporting one or more workmenand which is primarily adapted for replacing a ladder where the workrequires only that the workman be elevated from one to two feet abovethe ground or a floor surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stand which is capableof simultaneously supporting two or more workmen with a maximum ofsafety and which may be utilized for supporting loads up to a thousandpounds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stand which isextremely stable and will not overturn when all of the weight supportedby the stand is concentrated over an edge or corner thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stand havingcorner supporting legs which are so constructed that the legs andstand-top will flex to stabilize the stand, even when one of the legs isresting upon a surface which is disposed above the level of the surfacesupporting the other three legs, or even where two diagonally oppositelegs rest upon a surface which is higher than the surface on which theother two legs rest.

Still a further and particularly unique feature of the stand resides inthe fact that the stand, after having been stabilized on an unevensupporting surface by the application of a load thereto, will maintainits stabilized position, after removal of the load and until a part ofthe stand is lifted.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the workstand;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken approximately at a right angle toFIGURE 3, substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1, through a part of the stand.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the workstand in itsentirety is designated generally 6 and includes a top or platform 7which is preferably square, and which is supported in an elevatedposition by four corresponding supporting legs 8, 9, 10 and 11 which aresecured to and extend downwardly and outwardly from the four corners ofthe top or platform 7, in diverging relation to one another.

The top or platform 7 is composed of two sections 12 and 13 and twosteel bars or strips 14 and 15. The two sections 12 and '13 areidentical and each comprises an elongated piece of sheet steel havingcorresponding side edge portions which are turned downwardly andinwardly to form channel portions 16 and 17 having substantiallyparallel bar portions 18 and 19, respectively, and substantiallycoplanar bottom portions 20 and 21, respectively, as best seen in FIGURE4. The part of each sheet disposed between its side edge portions 16 and17 and extending from end-to-end thereof is reticulated or ex- 2,993,560Patented July 25, 1961 panded to form a grillwork 22, preferablycomposed of a multiplicity of upwardly expanded interconnected diamondshaped parts 23 which are connected to one another by bridging portions24 at the upper surface of the grillwork 22, as best seen in FIGURE 4,and by bridging portions 25 at the underside of the grillwork 22, asbest seen in FIGURE 3. The bridging portions 24 and 25 are disposed instaggered rows longitudinally of the sections 12 and 13, as seen inFIGURE 1. The upper edges of the individual diamond shaped parts 23 areserrated, as seen at 26, to provide a roughened top surface for thetable-top or platform 7 to slippage of a load placed thereon.

The outer sides of the bar portions 18 of the two sections 12 and 13 aresecured together in abutting engagement as by welding, as indicated at27, with thc sections 12 and 13 disposed substantially coplanar. Thus,the two inner channel portions 16 which are thus connected together forman I-beam, as seen in FIGURE 4. The bars 14 and 15 are secured byadditional welds 27 to the diamonds 23 disposed at the ends of thesections 12 and 13 and also to the ends of the channels 16 and 17 ofboth of said sections. Said bars 14 and 15 combine with the bar portions19 of the outer channels 117 to form a surrounding frame of the top orplatform 7, to the corners of which the four legs 8, 9, 10 and 11 aresecured.

Each of the legs is preferably formed of sheet steel which is creasedlengthwise midway of its side edges to provide two corresponding sides28 and 29 which are disposed approximately at a right angle to oneanother. The sides 28 and 29 have corresponding top portions 30 and 31,respectively, which bear flush against the two sides of a corner of thesurrounding frame of the top or platform 7 and which are secured theretoby additional Welds 27, as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 1. The sides 28and 29 of each leg extend downwardly and outwardly at a slight inclinefrom the upper leg portions 30 and 31, respectively, thereof, and saidleg portions 28 and 29 taper in width downwardly from the portions 30and 31, respectively. The leg portions 28 and 29 combine to form a ridge32 constituting the outermost edge of each leg and which is likewiseinclined downwardly and outwardly from the corner of the platform 7 towhich said leg is secured. A notch 33 is cut from each leg at the lowerend of the ridge 32 thereof and the lower ends of the sides 28 and 29 ofeach leg are turned outwardly to form coplanar foot members 34 and 35,respectively, which are adapted to rest upon a supporting surface, andall of which foot members are normally disposed coplanar and in a planeparallel to the plane of the upper surface of the top or platform 7.

The stand 6 may be made in various sizes. It has been found that thestand 6 having a height of approximately eighteen inches and a top orplatform which is approximately two feet square will be self-stabilizingeven when the foot members of one ofthe legs thereof is resting upon asurface which is as much as one and one-half inches above the level ofthe surface on which the foot members of the other three legs rest.Stabilizing of the stand on such an uneven surface is elfected by a loadbeing placed upon the platform 7. When this occurs, a flexing of theplatform 7 results, as well as a slight yielding of the legs, so thatthe foot members 34 and 35 of the four legs all assume positions inflush engagement with the supporting surface, even though the footmembers of one of the legs is at a level of as much as one and one-halfinches above the level of the foot members of the other three legs. Inaddition, it has been discovered that when the workstand 6 is thusdeformed and has stabilized itself it will remain stabilized when theload is removed therefrom and until a part of the stand is 3 n lifted.When this occurs, the parts spring back and resume their normalpositions relative to one another.

Due to the excellent stability of the stand, the entire load supportedby the stand may be located directly over any corner thereof or alongany side edge of the platform 7 and the stand will not overturn, evenwhen the stand is resting on a supporting surface which is not level andthe foot members of one of the legs are above the level of the footmembers of the other three legs.

;'The I-beam and surrounding frame provide suflicient reinforcement forthe platform 7 to enable a stand 6, of the aforementioned size, toreadily support a load of as much as one thousand pounds, while stillpermitting the platform to yield sufliciently so that the workstand willbe self-stabilizing. a Yarious modifications and changes arecontemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the functionor scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims..I claim as my invention: 1. A self-stabilizing workstand comprising asubstantially rectangular platform formed of sheet metal having a topsurface of grillwork construction, supporting legs secured to andextending downwardly and outwardly at an incline from the four cornersof said platform, said platform including two sheet metal sectionshaving adjacently disposed inwardly turned back side edge portionsforming channel portions secured together in abutting engagement to forman I-beam and inwardly turned back outer side edge portions formingouter channel portions, said sections having reticulated portionsextending between said inner and outer channel portions thereof and fromend-to-end of the sections and forming the grillwork top of theplatform, and steel bars rigidly secured to the ends of the reticulatedportions and to the inner and outer channel portions of both of saidsections and combining with the outer chanel portions of the sections toform a frame of the platform, said channel portions of the sectionsbeing disposed below the grillwork top of the platform, and saidplatform flexing to efllect self-stabilizing of the stand when a load isplaced upon the platform and when the surface supporting one of the legsis disposed above the level of the surface supporting the other legs.

2. A workstand as in claim 1, said legs being connected to one anothersolely by the connection of the legs to the platform and each being ofangular cross'seetion and composed of two corresponding sides, each legtapering in width toward its lower end and having an outturned bottompart forming a foot member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.51,262 Zagora Sept. 11, 1917 1,162,451 Caverly Nov. 30, 1915 1,443,067Bower Jan. 23, 1923 2,180,502 Bonsall Nov. 21, 1939 2,485,165 PollmanOct. 18, 1949 2,646,317 Holley July 21,1953 2,782,075 Fagan Feb, 19,1957

